Celebrity Fans Pay Tribute to David Bowie on Social Media

Published January 11, 2016•Updated on January 11, 2016 at 11:04 am

The world was stunned early Monday by the news that legendary rocker David Bowie died Sunday after an 18-month battle with cancer.

Those who mourned the death of the pop legend were as diverse and eclectic as the Grammy-winning songwriter's musical work. From Entertainers and actors to politicians and astronauts, many of the tributes being offered to the late Bowie have been personal reflections of the life of the man as well as the star.

Bowie's son, director Duncan Jones, posted a picture of his smiling father, with the caption: "Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all." [[364831231, C]] [[364856091, C]]

British astronaut Tim Peake tweeted his sadness from the International Space Station in outer space, while Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who gave new meaning to the song "Space Oddity" with his music video rendition of the Bowie classic made aboard the ISS in 2013, bid farewell to his inspirational "Starman." [[364846011, C]] [[364831621, C]]

Madonna posted an undated throwback photo of herself with Bowie on her Instagram, expressing her love for the "Hot Tramp." U2's Bono also published a photo of the transcendent musician, noting "Planet Earth is blue." [[364856071, C]]

Soccer star David Beckham and comedian Ricky Gervais, who persuaded his idol to appear on his television show "Extras," also took to social media to eulogize their fellow Brit. [[364831681, C]] [[364856731, C]]

Kanye West hailed David Bowie as one of his "most important inspirations" and Oscar-nominated music producer Pharrell Williams called him a "true innovator." [[364831821, C]]

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who described himself as a huge fan, said Bowie would be "deeply mourned" while the countries current Prime Minister, David Cameron, called the singer a "master of reinvention." [[364832141, C]] [[364832141, C]]

British rocker Billy Idol also took to Twitter to describe his loss, saying he was "nearly brought to tears" by the sudden news of Bowie's passing, adding "RIP." [[364831891, C]]

Germany's Foreign Ministry said David Bowie is "now among heroes" and thanked the one-time West Berlin resident for "helping to bring down the wall."

The ministry's post on its Twitter feed includes a link to a video of Bowie performing "Heroes," which contains the line "I can remember/Standing, by the wall." [[364835511, C]]

Please could every radio station around the globe just play David Bowie music today - I think the world owes him that.